There has been a recent surge in utility errors relating to pre-conditions and this requires your immediate attention.

Under ECO4, the requirement for existing insulation to meet insulation pre-conditions is that it is installed in a manner that would meet Building Regulations applicable if the insulation had been first installed on the day immediately preceding the day on which the heating measure is completed. (Paragraph 5.59 of the ECO4 Delivery Guidance).

To be clear, this means to meet ECO4 insulation pre-conditions, the existing insulation must be installed to a level that meets current Building Regulations that apply for a premise with no insulation getting insulation for the first time, at the time of the project. Current building regulations require that the roof insulation achieves 0.16 U-value and walls to 0.18.

Anesco require all projects where pre-conditions apply with either a flat roof, pitched roof or Room in Roof insulation present to be submitted to the pre-approval team before the project starts. The pre-approval team will require internal and external photos along with ceiling heights and other relevant information to accompany the usual pre-approval document requirements.

While we wait for Ofgem to confirm evidence requirements we are asking for the below.

Evidence:

It is expected that you should be able to prove that either the pre-existing insulation meets the pre-conditions or that you have installed adequate insulation to meet the standards. In the case that the pre-existing insulation meets the current building regulations you will need to provide the following evidence (we are waiting for new guidance from Ofgem so this is subject to change):

CWI

Ideally a TrustMark approved guarantee is the best way to evidence the pre-conditions have been met. If that is not available:

·         Borescope photos showing every elevation (including data stamped photos of the borescope in the wall).

·         Highlight drill pattern if possible.

·         Check in the meter box or other exposed areas and photograph wherever possible 

To support this any previous EPC data showing filled CWI is advisable.

Flat Roof

Ideally a TrustMark approved guarantee is the best way to evidence the pre-conditions have been met. If the roof was built after 2012 then look for evidence from building control sign off or planning permission. If that is not available the job must come through pre-approval and the following will be advised:

·         Photographic evidence showing 270mm of insulation roll or 150mm of Celotex present. The photographs must be sufficient to evidence the whole area is insulated to this standards. Depending on the size of the area and access that may involve multiple cross sections.

·         Videos may also be taken or borescope photos to support the above but will not always be required.

·         Clear photos of the rooms below and ceiling heights

If insufficient insulation is present or can not be fully evidenced in photographs then a u-value calculation demonstrating that 0.16 has been achieved will be accepted. The details and qualifications of the individual that performed the calculation must be provided.

If the preconditions have not been met and it is not reasonable practical to install additional insulation then the Anesco team will be happy to help you explore exemptions and seek advice from the utility company and Ofgem before the project goes ahead.

Sloping/Pitched Roof

Ideally a TrustMark approved guarantee is the best way to evidence the pre-conditions have been met. If the roof was built after 2012 then look for evidence from building control sign off or planning permission. If that is not available the job must come through pre-approval and the following will be advised:

·         Photographic evidence showing 270mm of insulation roll or 150mm of Celotex present. The photographs must be sufficient to evidence the whole area is insulated to this standards. Depending on the size of the area and access that may involve multiple cross sections.

·         Videos may also be taken or borescope photos to support the above but will not always be required.

·         Clear photos of the rooms below and ceiling heights

If insufficient insulation is present or can not be fully evidenced in photographs then a u-value calculation demonstrating that 0.16 has been achieved will be accepted. The details and qualifications of the individual that performed the calculation must be provided.

If the preconditions have not been met and it is not reasonable practical to install additional insulation then the Anesco team will be happy to help you explore exemptions and seek advice from the utility company and Ofgem before the project goes ahead.

Room in Roof

Ideally a TrustMark approved guarantee is the best way to evidence the pre-conditions have been met. If the roof was built after 2012 then look for evidence from building control sign off or planning permission. If that is not available the job must come through pre-approval and the following will be advised:

·         Photographic evidence showing every element of the room in roof is insulated. This would need to contain multiple photos demonstrating the thickness in all areas sufficient to achieve a u-value of 0.16.

If insufficient insulation is present or can not be fully evidenced in photographs then a u-value calculation demonstrating that 0.16 has been achieved will be accepted. The details and qualifications of the individual that performed the calculation must be provided.

If the preconditions have not been met and it is not reasonable practical to install additional insulation then the Anesco team will be happy to help you explore exemptions and seek advice from the utility company and Ofgem before the project goes ahead.

Please note that no access or customer refusal is not an accepted reason for lack of evidence.

It is not enough that the RdSAP assessment indicates insulation (assumed) when inputting as built. Evidence will be required to prove that insulation is present.

NOTE

At the time this was written Anesco believe this to be a true and accurate interpretation of the current guidance and legislation proposal. It is the installers responsibility to keep up to date with the latest information directly published on the Ofgem and DESNZ websites.

This ECO4 Pre-conditions update was originally published on 7th July 2023